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I have an electric windlass on the RL.
There's is no easy way of saying this but, it is without a doubt the very best mod I have made on the boat. Well, except for maybe the electric keep pump.
Seriously, once you have one you will wonder why it took you so long to do it.
Remember it is not just about raising the anchor, the ability drop the anchor via remote from the comfort and convenience of the helm is a godsend.

I solved the Anchor Dance negatives with a Cooper anchor. For the Farr 7500 I had the 3.5Kg aluminium one with the required length of stainless chain (for our purposes work hardening is not an issue) very easy. For the 5000 I am looking at their largest plastic one. They claim for boats up to 5m. Any anchor that will break a 18mm nylon tow rope and still does not let go is worth considering.

I have an electric windlass on the RL.
There's is no easy way of saying this but, it is without a doubt the very best mod I have made on the boat. Well, except for maybe the electric keep pump.
Seriously, once you have one you will wonder why it took you so long to do it.
Remember it is not just about raising the anchor, the ability drop the anchor via remote from the comfort and convenience of the helm is a godsend.

I had a PVC pipe hawser down the foredeck of my Dennis which allowed me to drop and retrieve anchor from the cockpit. Like your windlass, it was one of the better features of that boat.

Thanks, looks interesting. I can see why they would hold better in sand and mud being so much wider then a Danforthc so its something to consider when I'll get around to make my own anchor.
The gliding part not so sure , unless you dropped it in at least 20-30 mtr depth or was made out of thin sheetmetal you could probably throw it further then it would glide on its own.

I had a PVC pipe hawser down the foredeck of my Dennis which allowed me to drop and retrieve anchor from the cockpit.

On a previous small cabin cruiser where access to foredeck was through the hinged windows designed to fit only preschool kids or climbing on top of the cabin which wasn't safe even in moderate seas I ended up running the anchor line through a small SS ring tied to a few meters of rope running back to the cockpit. I'd secure the anchor line to bow cleat before leaving home and kept the anchor, chain and line out of the way in a milk crate under my seat. When launching the anchor line would drag the short rope & ring along the side of the hull with ring just ahead of the bow , to retrieve it I'd pull the short rope and the ring would bring the anchor line back to the cockpit. Worked like a charm and could preset the anchor line length at home or before getting into choppy waters if going fishing in shallow waters and didn't need the entire length.

I have tried this but found the technique does not work in a tide way. As you pull the anchor rode back to the cockpit the hull swings broadside to the tide and increases the tension on the anchor considerably and there you stop broadside on to the tide. Yes baysiders, that is why I was late leaving the channel fort last round the bay cruise. So yes this may work but pick your situations. Ie wind or tide = no go.

I guess it depends on the size of the boat and your own strength. On the 14' cabin cruiser I had no problems pushing it against tide although most of the time was lazy and used the outboard to ride on top of the anchor and used the stern cleat to pull it out of sand. A bit harder to do on my 20ft cat that is twice as heavy, more windage and only small tiller outboard but is still doable. I wouldn't like my chances in strong winds or on a larger & heavier boat bit I guess I'd be looking at an electric windlass then.

Dropped the anchor again today, and it slipped (slowly). The problem, as I found when I pulled it up, was that the old Danforth had rusted up and jammed the flukes so that they could not rotate and dig in. I might as well have dragged a piece of flat steel sheet over the bed. So a new anchor is needed. Am considering one of the new Danforth types with Aluminium-Magnesium alloy (so it doesn't rust). According to Whitworths, there are two very similar anchors, at very different prices. The F7 or G7 looks the same size as the old anchor, so should fit into the anchor locker. The only difference I can see is that the cheaper one has Silicon in the alloy, and is missing the bevelled edges on the flukes. Is that really worth halving the price? Can anyone enlighten me?

I suppose I am labouring a point, but the Cooper anchors are cheap and I have proved very effective. Unlike most anchors the Coopers seem to handle wind change better than most. A lot of anchors tip on their side and reset (you hope) The coopers seem to stay dug in. They are an Aussie invention and a unique design. The only negative I found with the 3.5Kg one was the dissimilar metal in the lead weight and the aluminium frame. Mine spent about six months undisturbed in a wet salty locker and the weight wanted to separate. With proper care that should not be a problem.

It might be little over-specced and over-priced, but the Admiral instructed me to get a good one for peace of mind, and I obeyed.

Also, it is just a little too long in the shank to fit in the anchor well nicely, by about 5 to 10mm. Chris and Mark advised me not to shave anything off the anchor, so the alternatives are to jam the lid shut (how it is at present) or shave off a little from the anchor locker. I reckon I could do the latter at the point nearest the bow with a routing tool of some sort, without going all the way through the GRP. The other piece of advice from the Sage Ones at Manly was to extend my chain from 6m to 12m.

Hi all
I have been looking around the site and haven't found any information on anchor winches for big TS's. Has anyone got any advice?
My daughter and I chartered a 33 foot Beneteau July 2016 in the Whitsundays and the anchor winch was a god send as it meant I could helm and motor up to the anchor while the winch did the retrieving instead of my then 14yo daughter trying to pull it up ( or helm whilst I broke my back ).
My 28 foot Imexus also needs a fairly big anchor and chain in these conditions and Annabel and I are taking it up to the Whitsundays in April next year.
I have been looking at the drum style winches now becoming very popular on trailable fishing boats as these boats often anchor in deep water whilst fishing and the Lone Star GX2 seems a possible solution.
Any thoughts anyone?
The fact that the rode and chain wrap around the drum means no untidy tangles in the locker or chain or rope snags or piling in the relatively shallow locker.
I have a big alternator unlike most TS's so power consumption shouldn't be an issue as like the charter yacht company recommended you always retrieve the anchor with the engine running to motor up as you shouldn't ask the winch to pull the yacht forward as well as the vertical lift of the anchor and chain.
I know few here have really big TS's that make these things necessary but any thoughts around this would be appreciated.
Regards Graeme

A long time ago I investigated a drum winch for the Macgregor 26M I had at the time. So a few points that may assist.
A traditional chain locker type winch was not possible due to the shallow anchor locker ie 10inch drop is the minimum for the chain to coil under a winch. Someone on the gold coast at the time did the major fibreglass refit for a deep chain locker and apparently it worked well (losing a large slice of the forward berths in doing so).
I did check running a tube from the winch from the anchor locker down into the forward buoyancy locker in the 26M - there was enough clearance in this locker to get the required drop but then I would have had wet chain in a this locker and would have to drain it somehow = messy. I gave up on the that option.
Anyway I researched drum winches. The issue any such winch will have is the line stowing on the winch in an even manner. The wider the winch and the closer it is to the bow the worse this effect is. There was one brand that had a guide that moved sideway back and forth as the rode was retrieved. I also looked at reducing the rode diameter to get more on a smaller drum - again the shallow anchor locker restricting what I could do - and even considered light chain then dyeema with nylon springs to get distance on the drum.
For your purpose you will need an all chain rode I suspect so you will need a larger winch to store enough chain.
To keep the noise down you can get chain covers - worth considering.
Also consider that with the drum full, the holding power and retrieval power reduces from that available with a near empty drum.
Some have a free fall option - many must unwind the rode so the speed they can do this at is a consideration.

I did my first overnight stop in the lee of Green Island, with a 15 knot wind. Happy to say that the Fortress FX7, plus 12m chain and another 12m nylon rode, held my 20ft TS perfectly. Although the anchor itself is light, it came up with a large glob of mud on it. It was not difficult to pull up and stow. Just needed a wash when I got the boat ashore.